Have You Hugged a Teacher Today?

Sometimes the planning, ordaining, and arranging God has done in my life just slaps me upside the head. I am just overcome with warm fuzzies and sweet peace that God knows, and has always known, exactly what I need when I need it. And He know who I need when I need them. Today I read another blog post about a fabulous teacher and it reminded me that I've been wanting to blog this for awhile. You see, I was so blessed to have so many wonderful teachers. I mean, caring, inspiring, made me want to go to school kind of teachers. Maybe I will blog about each of them eventually. But tonight, I just wanted to let my first favorite teacher know how I feel.

I will have to give you a little bit of background. You see, 2nd grade was a tough year for me. I was convinced I had the meanest teacher on the planet. She was probably perfectly fine, but I was an overly sensitive child and weird. I really was a weird kid. Anyway, for some reason I really struggled that year. Well, we moved the summer between 2nd and 3rd grade to Panama City, Fl. and I started a new school. My teacher was Mrs. Hicks and I thought she was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

She loved reading and writing and I learned in her class to love reading and writing. We would have days where we would bring our sleeping bags and favorite books and spend all day reading. Mrs. Hicks was overflowing with creativity and her passion for it was contagious. It would have been awesome if all she did was spark the love for reading that she did. But she did even more than that. In addition to the love for reading, she loved writing. She taught writing workshops after school, and that might sound boring, but it wasn't. She and another wonderful teacher, Mrs. Knowles, made it fun. I learned to brainstorm and create flow charts and put my excessive daydreaming and crazy imagination to use. It all started because I wrote a story in class one day. It was about a ghost named Burt that became my friend when I fed him corn. I told y'all I was wierd. :) It was just an assignment and I didn't think much about it, but Mrs. Hicks went on and on about how talented I was. She even made sure I turned it into a book complete with illustrations.

She stirred a passion in my life for reading and writing and thinking outside of the box. But even more than that, she made me feel special. After such a rough time in 2nd grade I somehow ended up with no self-esteem by the age of 8. But Mrs. Hicks came into my life and I felt like I had something to offer the world. I feel like I became such a different person. I went from a shy, scared to death little girl to one who ran for student council positions and went on to write "books" that were even put in my elementary school library. I believe that God made encouragement one of my spiritual gifts because I am someone who has needed so much of it. Mrs. Hicks encouraged me to do and be things I would have never even thought about trying.

I am a firm believer in letting people know how you feel about them. Mrs. Hicks, I just want you to know how God used you! Now, I'm a totally weird grown-up that blogs about my crazy life instead of writing  stories about dancing with lizards or feeding corn to ghosts. :) I know teachers don't come close to making what they deserve money wise, but I pray that the impact you have on your students compensates for that somewhat!

How about you? Do you have a special teacher that made an impact on you? I would love to hear about it!


I don't have a picture of Mrs. Hicks handy, but this is my 3rd grade class, Hicks' Hurricanes. In this picture is one of my dearest friends, Pao Ying, the first boy I ever chased on the playground and informed him that he would be my boyfriend, and several others who walked across the stage with me as I graduated high school. Sweet memories!

Too Hot to Fish, Too Hot for Golf, and Too Tired to Blog

Is anybody else wore out? I mean WORE. SLAP. OUT? Or is just me? I tell ya, I don't know if it's the heat, the going non-stop, the cleaning up after 3 kids and 8 dogs, or if I'm just the laziest person ever, but I am tired.

This morning I had the wonderful opportunity to take all 3 of my children to the dr. Well, Kate was just along for the ride. Sarah and Eli had to have physicals and Eli was supposed to get shots, but we learned he will have to go back on Monday due to a scheduling issue. Which turned out to be good, because we were there for 3 hours just for the physicals. It is so much fun to wrangle children in a dr's exam room. I mean, it is like totally one of my favorite things to do on early Wednesday mornings. There are just only so many ways you can entertain yourself in an exam room. Kate's way was to walk around with a plastic model of different sized prostates and say "Smell dis?" Um, no, but thanks for asking anyway.  I tell ya, I don't know what I'm going to do with her.

Other random things I would like to share with you while completely exhausted:

-The other day we saw a boat out in the bay carrying a porta potty. That was all. Oh, what I would have given to have my camera with me. If we ever get a boat (which Josh has started talking about a lot lately, but I kindly remind him that a boat will have to wait until we outgrow needing things like groceries and electricity), we will have to get an extra one to tote a porta potty for  me.

-We just spent Sun. through Tues. in Georgia with my sister and her family and my Mom, brother and Mamaw. I took the kids by myself for their first meeting with their new cousin. I will post a pic in a little bit if I don't forget. But there's a chance I will. Anyway, on our way home last night we stopped at a convenience store (actually we stopped at 3, but who was counting? See, we really do need our own porta potty...). The kids had $2 a piece and they were really wanting to spend it. I told Sarah she could pick out something that was less than two dollars. Well, I saw her eyeing some candy but she kept walking away from it. Then, I heard her tell Eli, "We can't get that, it's $89." Say what????? I wondered if while we were in the bathroom we had been tranpsorted to the year 3045, and then I realized what was going on. I explained that it was 89 cents. You would think that since I'm her mother, I'm older and wiser, and I was even her math teacher this last year (yes, I do know what you are thinking) that she would listen to me. Nah. She argued. "It says it's $89." So, right then and there we had a little math lesson pointing out the decimal sign. She was relieved. Me too. Man, I could be skinny if Twix bars cost $89!!!!!

-Okay, I thought I had more interesting (random?) things to tell you, but if I did I can't remember them. So, I'm gonna share some pictures. Unless I fall asleep while uploading them. Are we having fun yet?


                       The cousins finally meet! What a total coincidence that they all had cute, matching clothes! ;)
               I made Luke hold onto Sarah's arm because it was the only way we could keep him in place!!!

I don't even know what to say.....

                                                   Look at that country girl!

                                                     Gonna have to work on those driving skills....

This is what happened when I wanted a pic with just my kids. Luke didn't want anything to do with pictures until this one. :)

The girls! You will very rarely find me without my camera and a Diet Coke. :)

Have I mentioned that I adore my brother and sister?!?

This pic is in honor of my first car, the little red rocket. It had a headlight duct taped on. I'm not even kidding.

          You can take the girl out of Mississippi, but she'll still end up barefoot with a gun in Georgia. :)

Finally, I just had to share a picture of one of my sweet conversations with Lyla. She loves to talk to me. We discussed how I'm not a phone person and she's not really either, so we're going to have to work on that. Then I told her that she should always touch up her roots before family get togethers where there will be massive picture taking going on. Not that I know that from experience. I would NEVER go visit my family with roots looking like that!!!!! (Um, please don't look at this pic too close....)

Okay, thanks for suffering through this batch of randomness and obnoxious picture sharing. Hope you all are having a great week. May your trips to the health department be few and may your Route44 cups overflow with your favorite cold beverage! What are some of the ways you are staying cool this summer????

High Maintenance

Just checkin' in to let you all know that I survived dance camp. All 2 weeks and all 8 hour days. As I look back on the last week's blogs you may feel that it was an extremely traumatic experience. All I can say is, blame it on the hormones, y'all. The truth is, I had a blast. It hurt so good. It pushed me in a way physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally that I haven't been pushed in a long time. And I needed it. My body needed the workout. My brain needed the creative challenge. My psyche needed to build some confidence. And at the end of the day, I just needed to dance. I was reminded that dancing is just part of who I am, even if I jiggle a little more now when I do it. :)

I cried a little, got frustrated a little, and stressed a little. But....I laughed A LOT! Man, it was fun to be with those girls, all 42 of them (over both weeks). From ages 4-12, they each came with their own personalities, strengths, and quirks. It was just a field day for this people analyzer. I had the 5 year old pageant queen who ruled the drama department. If she was squealing with laughter or creating a camp soap opera out of trouble with one of her friends, she did it big. We all knew about it. I had the older girl who was excellent with the little ones and was a great assistant. She's got "leader" written all over her. There were the sporty girls and the girly girls. The clingy little ones and the wanderers. We danced so much, but we also colored, ate goldfish and animal crackers like they were going out of style and celebrated two birthdays over the two weeks. We moaned about how sore we were and cheered when we got to do the peanut butter jelly song. At some point we all just wanted our Mama. :)

Friday was our show. We did one on the last day of both weeks. The first week was beyond chaotic. That was the day I banged my head into the shelf and was a little concerned I might go stand in the middle of the room and start singing "I'm a Little Teapot".  Thankfully, I didn't. Instead I rotated between the dance floor and the dressing room as the girls performed 5 dances and showed off their tumbling skills. Seriously. They amazed me. I cannot even put into words what it is like trying to get between 8, 4-6 year olds changed between each dance. We had them wear ballet skirts, shorts, t-shirts, stuff like that for different dances so they would get the idea about costuming. Honestly, by the time we had dress rehearsal I was ready to tell 'em all to just dance naked like David did in the Bible, but that wasn't optional. So we made it through the costume changes. This last Friday was a little less chaotic. We had more older girls and we did tap first so the major shoe changing happened in the beginning. I was so proud of my girls. I mean, during the week there were so many times I wanted to just bang my head on the mirror because I was pretty sure they weren't paying attention to a thing that was going on. But sure enough, you put them in front of a crowd and those girls PERFORMED! Just made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I have to share a little secret. As my tiny, 4 year old student asked me one day, "Can I borrow your ear for a minute? I need to tell you something." This is it: Hip hop was totally my favorite. Barbie choreographed such a fun dance. It had some squatting and falling onto our sides and I was concerned I might need knee and hip replacement by the end of the week, but I didn't! In case you are having visions of this preacher's wife "shakin' that jelly", you don't have to worry that I was overly seductive or suggestive. Do you remember Carlton from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? Yeah, he looks totally gansta compared to my hip-hop skills. :)

My Mom took this pic of me and Sarah at the end of the show. One of the girls told me on Thursday I looked tired. By Friday I looked practically comatose!!!!

If you are noticing Sarah's make-up, that is kind of what I was actually planning to blog about tonight. The day of the show we also did all of the girl's hair and make-up. We wanted them to experience "stage make-up", which is not to be confused with "streetwalker" make-up, if you're feelin' me. Stage make-up is very dramatic and bold so that you can be seen under all of the stage lights. And no, we weren't really on a stage with lights, but let's face it, it's just fun to do make-up. :)

All of the girls agreed. It did my heart so good this last Friday as the older girls gathered around and would oohh and ahhh and comment on how pretty everybody looked. Girls just need that. Many of the older girls were 11 and 12 and I remember being 12 and being allowed to get my first lipgloss and wear clear mascara. That was also the year I got contacts and so most of my getting ready memories are of me crawling around on the floor looking for my contacts that I was forever dropping.....

Being with those girls just made me remember what it felt like to be that age. The insecurity. The anticipation of "becoming a woman" and all of the make-up, hairspray and nail polish that would include. And I realized, in a lot of ways I am still 12. I am still waiting to figure out how the heck to make myself look the way I want to. Don't worry, this is not going to turn into a serious, self-esteem, meaning of life blog. This is a straight up, I want to know your tips and secrets.

I so remember being 12 and wanting to become one of those girls that was always so put together. The perfect make-up, not a hair out of place, always in the right outfit. You know the type? Well, I left to go do some shopping tonight and totally left my house without a smudge of make-up, my hair completely pulled back and wearing jeans and a t-shirt THAT HAD A TOOTHPASTE stain on it. Oh dear. I'm blaming it on exhaustion. But really, I need help. I was thinking about my favoritest movie of all time Miss Congeniality. You know the scene when she goes in and the whole team works on her? Yes. That is what I need. Waxing. Plucking. Highlighting. Lipsticking. Hairspraying. Manicuring. The whole shebang. I need a team, people!!!!

Unfortunately all I have is Kate ruining my mascara, Sarah using all of my nail polish and Eli asking me 85 questions while I get ready. So, please, I beg of you. What do you do to make yourself beautiful? Or, at least presentable?

Turn, Turn, Turn

I was really hoping for a funny blog today. I definitely had some moments. Like when my dance girls were gathered around me during break fixing my hair. I was sitting  in a plastic chair and they started whispering. I was then informed they could see my booty. As in, it is so big it was sticking out of the back of the chair. Fabulous. That was moments before one of the girls leaned in and whispered, "When they're done with your hair I'm gonna take it down and do something to make it look pretty." As in, it obviously was not at that moment. And wouldn't you know that at that very moment the photographer who did all of the girls dance pictures walked in to get orders! He laughed. He said, "Now there is a picture." Praise the name of Jesus he did not have his camera. All I can say is that it is good my self-esteem was already shot before I hung out with these girls. :) For the record, Josh just ran to Mr. Cheap Butts (have I ever told y'all we live down the street from a place called Mr. Cheap Butts? Eli had to say it and laugh every time we came home for the first couple of months) and while he did bring me a caffeinated diet coke, I DID NOT get a Twix. I ALWAYS get a Twix. Except now. The day after little girls laughed about my booty.

Okay. Enough about my booty. And my junk food habits. And the classy names of our convenience stores. I just feel the need to let you all know that my week has gotten better. MUCH better. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I can see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And what I mean by all of this is that there are only 2 days of dance camp left. The truth is, I feel like I've just finally adjusted to the schedule. And now it's almost over. Bummer. I truly have fallen in love with all of the girls over the last two weeks. Even the ones that can't keep up with their shoes and don't listen to a dern thing I say. Even the ones who are brutally honest about the size of my backside. I can't help it, I just love 'em. Hopefully they will all sign up for fall classes and I will still get to see them all the time. I will also miss the daily exercise. I'm serious! Now that my body has gotten over the initial message my body sent me "HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We haven't done these things in 11 years and now we're doing them for 8 hours a day? I hate you!!" I am in love again with stretching and leaping and turning and well, just getting off of the couch.

Now that I have assured you that I am fine and life is good, I feel free to tell you that life was not good last week. As if you hadn't gathered that from my previous posts. Well, I can't really say life wasn't good, but I wasn't good. Hormones, grief, new job anxiety, birthday planning and good old fashioned exhaustion clashed in an epic perfect storm that left me....not okay. Irritable. Short. Snippy. Aggitated. Flaky. Unorganized. Selfish. Grumpy. Withdrawn. Mean. Just to name a few.  I don't know about y'all, but I don't like for things to not be okay. I am one of those people who feels the need to go around and make sure people are not upset with me if perhaps they make a face that I deem not okay. I'm one of those people who feels the need to take a public opinion poll before making a decision. I don't like stress, anxiety or conflict of any kind. Not in the world around me and NOT within me. That is the worst to me. Because even I, on some level. have learned that I am not in control of everything around me and I can't make everybody happy and keep everything "okay" all of the time. But, when it comes to my spirit, to what is going on inside of me, I just don't think there is anything worse than not feeling "okay'.

I knew what was going on. I knew that it was the tragic meeting of so much physical and emotional stress and exhaustion. I have no idea why my heart starts grieving the most at times that are just not convenient. I don't know why my body decided to be extremely uncooperative during the time I really needed it to cooperate more than ever. But I knew I was not okay. And I knew I couldn't stay that way.

This is what I'm feeling now. A week, a good night's sleep and a hormonally balanced week later I can see that there are just times when things are not right. Sometimes it's externally, sometimes internally and unfortunately sometimes both. The Book of Ecclesiastes points out that simple fact to us.

1 There is a time for everything,



and a season for every activity under heaven:


2 a time to be born and a time to die,


a time to plant and a time to uproot,


3 a time to kill and a time to heal,


a time to tear down and a time to build,


4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,


a time to mourn and a time to dance,


5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,


a time to embrace and a time to refrain,


6 a time to search and a time to give up,


a time to keep and a time to throw away,


7 a time to tear and a time to mend,


a time to be silent and a time to speak,



8 a time to love and a time to hate,


a time for war and a time for peace.

I don't think any of us would argue that a time to tear, hate, or go to war are ever good things we hope for. I dont' know about y'all but I'm not a fan of the times of searching or weeping and mourning. But, I was reminded by these words that no matter how unpleasant, they have a time and a place in all of our lives. To pretend that they don't is to ignore the very real things we all experience. If there is anything I want people to see in my life I want it to be that I'm real. That I don't believe in God because everything is always great and perfect in my life. Actually, I believe in Him because of all of those times of being torn down, of mourning and weeping and searching that He has carried me through. That He has gently and patiently held me through until I met the seasons of joy, laughter, mending and dancing.
 
Since I'm being honest tonight, I have to tell you that the number one thing that hasn't been okay for me lately is my relationship with God. I have always strived to put Him first and seek Him continually in all that I do. I realize that I've let the many things going on in life pull me in a million different directions that were all away from Him. And I just can never be okay with that.
 
This week we've been teaching the girls about a very important thing in dance. Spotting. Whenever you do turns in dance you have to learn to find one thing to keep your eyes on while you are turning. You stay focused on that one thing as long as possible and then you turn your head as fast as possible when you turn to find that object again. It's been quite a sight. We have girls ages 5-12 and most have never danced. It often looks like the bar has just closed and we have a bunch of drunks wandering around. It is not an easy skill to learn. There are so many things to get distracted by along the way. Some girls do the basic turn, some can go fast, some turn the wrong direction and some of my little bitty girls come up with moves I've never seen. This week my job has been to stand in the corner they are turning to so they can "spot" me. I've found myself jumping up in the air, waving my arms yelling "LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!" as the girls just wander all over the room.
 
Tonight, I sat in prayer meeting and talked to my Father. And do you know what He said to me? "LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!" I understood that I've been dizzily spinning trying to do a hundred things without any direction. Lots of them were even good, well intentioned things. But now I know where I failed. I took my eyes off of Him.
 
O soul, are you weary and troubled?



No light in the darkness you see?


There’s light for a look at the Savior,


And life more abundant and free!


Refrain:


Turn your eyes upon Jesus,


Look full in His wonderful face,


And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,


In the light of His glory and grace.


Through death into life everlasting


He passed, and we follow Him there;


O’er us sin no more hath dominion—


For more than conquerors we are!


His Word shall not fail you—He promised;


Believe Him, and all will be well:


Then go to a world that is dying,


His perfect salvation to tell!

Helen H. Lemmel, 1922

Just Another Manic Monday

I did something crazy today. I mean CA-RAZY! After much medical research (by which I mean excessive googling) I've determined that there is a strong possibility my hormonal issues are being greatly affected by my exorbitant intake of caffeine. So, you know where this is going, right? I decided to give it up. Today. Monday morning. The second week of dance camp. The day we would once again fit and dress 22 girls. The day they would all act like wild animals.

Let's discuss this day. First, I'm not a morning person. I'm sure we've covered this. Even Josh has been amazed at my early morning self this last week and a half. Still, I'm NOT a morning person. Second, I prefer to not talk to people before 10 am. Just a general rule I like to follow. That rule at my house? BROKEN. That rule at dance camp with 22 girls=SOOOO BROKEN! Well, today my boss lady asked if I wanted to trade and let her do the buns and I would help with the fittings. I agreed. Chaos is chaos. She told me that the lady from the dance store had fired her last week from helping with the tights. I soon met the same fate. She informed I did not know what I was doing and I was too slow. I informed her I was there to teach dance and not put on tights. I did y'all! I really said that! What can I say? Monday morning. 8:00 am. No caffeine. 22 girls. Grumpy dance store lady. Grumpy me. I did not even bother to mention that I have two daughters who I have been dressing in tights for 8 years now or that I was in fact, wearing some of my tights from MY SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL that do not have a run in them. Obviously I do know how to put on tights! (Yes, I am mentally sticking out my tongue and waving my fingers behind my ears. Because, I'm like 10.) Oh well.

Later she apologized to me and shared the reason she felt grumpy. It just happened to be one of my new students. She just happens to share my name. She just happens to be the whiniest, complainingest, most uncooperative little 5 year old known to mankind. Or at least to our dance studio. She's the one that got me in trouble with the tights. I wasn't moving fast enough because she kept saying, "You're poking me. That hurts. That doesn't feel right. You're hurting me." Mercy. I could tell it was going to be a long day.

I spent most of the day saying, "Emily. Emily. Get back in your place. Emily, get off of the mats. Emily, stand still. Emily, we don't do that." By 3:00 this afternoon I was physically picking her up and putting her where I wanted her to be when our studio owner walked by giving a parent a tour of the studio. I was so happy to demonstrate my best teaching skills..... Barbie suggested it would be great if I could diffuse some of my personality into my little namesake. I'm assuming she means the part of my personality that is so laid back that sometimes you wonder if I am, in fact, still awake. I assured her I have diffused my personality into as many children as I plan to. :)

By the time I got home I was feeling so sick I just laid on the couch and cried. My head hurt. My stomach hurt. I had two dances to choreograph and that sent me into a tailspin. Because I was sick and irrational. I am talking about 2 one minute dances for an end of the week showcase. A showcase where the girls I teach could stand on stage and pick their nose and the parents would take pictures and applaud like it was Broadway. I ate a piece of cake. It will make me sad when I stand in front of the mirrors tomorrow, but temporarily it made me feel better. Then, in desparation I begged Josh to get me a Diet Coke. Fully leaded. None of that decaf stuff.

It was miraculous. Three sips and I felt like a human being again. Earlier I hadn't been sure if my headache and nausea were from A. Lack of caffeine or B. Banging my head straight into the corner of a shelf while helping the girls change for our show last week (I'm talking, I was seeing stars and when I showed our tumbling teacher she said, "Right there where that dent is in your head?" Um, yes.) Or finally, C. The fact that I have been exposed to a stomach virus on an hourly basis everyday since last Monday. Eli had it. Several of the girls at camp had at. At church yesterday one of my VBS girls came up and greeted me with, "I'm gonna puke". Which is my favorite way to be greeted. How 'bout you? I tried to create a little space until she told me her heart hurt. I asked if she was sad about something. She answered by hugging me and saying, "I was missing you." *Melts heart*. I briefly forgot that sickness threatened our moment until 15 minutes later during welcome fellowship. It was just ending and Josh had just stepped up to preach. I looked over and ......yep. Puke. On the floor. In the middle of the aisle. I tell ya, if it ain't car alarms it's puke. Well, she had come with one of our members whose son was getting baptized and I didn't want her to miss that so I took little Miss sweet thing to one of the kid's rooms to lay down.  So, all of that to say, I didn't even have to google my symptoms today. My Diet Coke reassured me that I am not suffering from a concussion or a stomach virus. And all the church said, "AMEN!" And Emily said, "I will never go a day without caffeine again!"

Since at that point I was able to engage in conversation other than, "It hurts so bad, I feel like I'm gonna puke" Josh began telling me interesting things he had heard and read today. I feel so bad. There are times when I try to be educated and informed and prove myself an interesting conversation partner. Today, as he asked me if I had heard about something going on in Saudi Arabia I just looked at him like he had 5 heads. He laughed knowing what I was thinking. For any of you who may want to have a conversation with me about what I've "heard" let me warn you. This is what I've been hearing everyday:

"Where are my shoes?"
"Can I go to the bathroom?"
"When can I take my tights off?"
"Can I get a drink  of water?"
"I'm hungry."
"I'm tired."
"Is it time to go home yet?"
"I don't know how to do that."

And just for fun, the things I've been saying,

"Where is your other shoe?"
"Off the mats, girls!"
"Point your toes!"
"We will take a break in 5 minutes."
"Spread out."
"Show me how you can wait quietly."

My favorite is not related to dance camp, but has been uttered too many times not to mention:

"WHO LET THE DOGS OUT???????"

It's gonna get better, y'all. After my Diet Coke kicked in I was able to choreograph those dances. In my rational, caffeinated state it was a lot easier to choreograph a dance for 4 and 5 year olds as opposed to the idea in my irrational, decaffeinated brain that I was like, going to be the guest choreographer on the next So You Think You Can Dance. I mean really, if I can get these girls to stand in a straight line I will feel like I've accomplished something great. If any of this post has made an ounce of sense, that will be a great accomplishment.

How about you? Was your Monday manic or magnificent? It is Monday, right?

[Drowned] Mall Rats

For months now Sarah has been asking to have her ears pierced. I didn't have it done when she was a baby because, well, there was enough screaming going on.  I also really just wanted to wait until she asked and it was something she wanted to do. She's mentioned it in the past, but this time I could tell she was serious. It is all she has talked about. So today was the day. We were headed to the mall. It was just going to be Sarah and her friend, but Eli had quite the meltdown. He said, "I wanna go bad! I don't even remember what the mall looks like!" It was tragic. I did the proper Mom thing and asked Sarah how she would feel if she were in Eli's shoes. Eli went to the mall, too.

I had to stop for gas on the way and WHOA, I ended up calling Josh to ask if there was a hurricane coming. The wind came out of nowhere and I thought I was going to have to hang on to the gas pump! By the time we got to Panama City it was POURING. Thankfully it let up a little as we made our way to the food court. One Hi-C spill and 18 chicken nuggets later we were ready for ear piercing. Almost. After a bathroom trip of course.

We made our way to Claire's and despite being asked to buy and/or do everything we passed, we showed up empty handed. I could tell Sarah's nerves had set in.  The girl showed her the earrings to choose from and of course, being my daughter, she picked the biggest, most expensive pair. :)  This was her birthday gift so I was going to get whatever she wanted, but even the piercing girl agreed they were a little too big. So, she took it down a size.  As she climbed into the chair I began to wonder if she would really go through with it. She couldn't even pretend to smile, y'all.

                                                   
                                             We made it through the first ear....

                                                   Now I was really worried....

She did it!

There were a couple of Moms and their daughters standing around and they all winced in pain with Sarah and praised her new earrings. It was a special moment. Is there anything more fun than being the Mom of girls and hanging out in Claire's? I think not. I had not been in there in a loooong time. In fact, it brought back memories of being 15 and running in there to hide behind jewelry racks because weird boys were stalking me and my friend. Oh the memories! Anyway, I see a back to school shopping trip to Claire's in our future for sure.

After that we headed to the arcade so that Eli could detox from the estrogen overload that is Claire's.

Then it was time to head home. We left the mall just as the monsoon struck again and we literally swam to the jeep. We got SOAKED!!!!

Aren't they the cutest little mall rats you've ever seen?????

13 Things That Made Me Happy Today!

1. I got to start my day by giving Sarah a present. Fun!

2. It was day 4 of dance camp and I was still walking.

3. We started our stretching with the peanut butter and jelly song. Really fast, really silly. I was actin' a fool. But it was fun!

4. We finished learning all of the dances today so tomorrow will just be practicing for the show.

5. I kinda sorta maybe feel like I'm starting to figure out what I'm doing.

6. I didn't drop my lunch on the floor today. (I totally did yesterday. In case you are feeling embarrassed for me, I go home for lunch. :)

7. Eli is feeling all better!

8. I watched 5 and 6 year old girls do dance steps they couldn't do on Monday.

9. During a break I listened to a conversation between little girls about how much they love their daddies. One said, "My Mama thinks I'm a Mama's girl, but I'm really a Daddy's girl."  :)

10. I got to see the smile on Sarah's face when 20 girls sang Happy Birthday to her!

11. When I got home I bent down to pick up something and I didn't cry out in pain!!!!!

12. Sarah had a present waiting from one of our church members and part of it was a scarf. In typical Sarah fashion, she had to get all dolled up for her birthday dinner.

13. The restaurant Sarah picked just happened to have a live Mariachi band playing tonight and they sang Happy Birthday to her!

I hope you have all had a great day! What made you happy today?